The Crazy Science and Fury of Dr. Laura Schreibman
By Katie Wright
You know who Dr. Schreibman reminds me of? Helen Thomas. You know the elderly White House reporter who finally retired last year? I believe Ms. Thomas is about 90 yrs old. As a courtesy for her many decades of years of service, the White House held Ms. Thomas a press briefing room seat, far, far beyond the time she was a journalist of consequence. Dr. Schreibman also reminds me of Ross Perot, in his later crazy years. It is so very difficult for many professionals, leaders in their field, to step off the stage. Oftentimes what propels these people to the top of their professions is a strong sense of self, a healthy ego and sometimes, yes, narcissism. However, leaders can both grow and change over time or they can become calcified, zealously guarding their corner of the world, fighting change as if their life depended on it.
I was so disappointed to learn that Dr. Schreibman was leading the treatment part of the IMFAR conference. Guess who she lined up to educate parents about treatment interventions? A psychiatrist, a psychologist and a geneticist! So good luck to all you parents out there with sick kids, kids with GI problems, kids with nightmarish allergies, kids suffering from immune or mitochondrial or metabolic dysfunction. You were on your own before and now you are still on your own….But haven’t you heard the good news? Autism is a genetic disorder of the brain! Who knows if all those pesky “medical” problems even exist?
OK, I thought Dr. Nancy Minshew was the world’s angriest autism researcher. I was wrong, way wrong. Sorry Dr. Minshew, the title has now been passed to Dr. Laura Schreibman. Schreibman is hands down, no contest, the world’s angriest, most hostile, furious autism researcher.
Get ready for something special. Take a look at this video! Wow! Dr. Laura addresses the crowd as if they owe her money, stole her car and then toilet papered her house! Dr. Laura is absolutely furious. Beyond furious! Schreibman states that she has gotten to a place in her career were she feels “safe” to come out with her true beliefs about autism. So there is the threat to her ego, the field is changing, that scares Screibman, hence the need to batten down the hatches and lash out at those with new, different and more advanced theories.
Dr. Laura describes fearing for her actual physical safety at an Autism Society of America conference. You know how crazy those ASA families can get! ASA is largely comprised of mainstream Midwestern Moms fighting for the barest minimum of services and medical help for their young adult children. I don’t know do these people live with themselves, knowing their crimes. I really don’t. I think the Department of Homeland Security should investigate ASA. Maybe they have ties to Al Qaeda, organized crime or international drug cartels? Maybe there are professional killers, hit men, in their midst? Only Laura Schreibman knows for sure.
Schreibman felt her life was endangered by ASA parents! Wow, a million children living with a terribly disabling disease but it is Dr. Schreibman who is fighting for her life! Dr. Schreibman is the true victim in all this autism hysteria! Dr. Laura continued on by expresses disdain for the dangerous ASA parents she encountered. Dr. Laura complains: “they feel so strongly about autism!” Yuck! Now I totally understand! Why would an autism researcher want to spend time with those kinds of people! How horrible. A little bit later Screibman states that most ASD families probably have mental retardation somewhere in their families. Really nice.
Throughout this torturous talk Schreibman speaks repeatedly of her longtime contributions to the field. Remember narcissism is a common characteristic of professionals who cling to center stage. Schreibman was in the field long before most people knew what autism was. Schreibman has traveled everywhere for years educating doctors about autism. Dr. Laura has been bravely battling snake oil doctors for decades! Dr. Schriebman now feels brave and confident enough to speak out for the science. There is that grandiosity. Dr. Laura repeatedly says “antedotecal” as if it is the disgusting word imaginable. Schriebman uses the same speech intonation for “parental antidotal evidence” that I reserve for words like, “lice”, “toenail fungus” or “rat infestation.”
It is almost beside the point that Dr. Schreibman that gets practically every single fact about biomedical interventions and vaccine science wrong. She ridicules the leaky gut syndrome and hysterically defends vaccinations. Scrheibman argues there has been no increase in the vaccination schedule since ASD’s rise. I know, I know, what do you even say…Dr. Laura is so out of it, desperately clinging on to the most dated picture of autism, and hanging on to this picture for her life. I bet she has not spent a day with a child like mine.
I want to be clear that in disagreeing with Dr. Schriebman I do not mean “to put her life in danger.” It sounds like Dr. Laura sets the bar pretty low for life endangering circumstances, so I want to re-iterate my wholly peaceful intentions. I hope Dr. Schreibman has a long and happy life but I also wish she would step aside, retire, take her leave, get off the stage, pack it up and make room for the new generation of open- minded autism researchers. We have no need for the Dr. Schriebmans of yesterday. Our community needs skilled, humane, inspired and innovative scientists who respect for our families and have actual compassion for our children. We need autism researchers who actually care about stopping this epidemic and healing children rather than about the inflating their bruised egos.
Dr. Laura Schreibman was the most instrumental person in getting appropriate treatment (behavioral) for my son 38 years ago, before most people knew what Autism was. BTW the rate at the time was 1/25000. We used positive reinforcement and m&ms - never aversive therapy. I was a parent who was trained to do behavioral therapy, and partner with her and her grad students at the Claremont colleges. My son learned to speak, attend, be mainstreamed into regular schools, graduate high school, and now has a satisfying career with Goodwill. If I had listened to my child's pediatrician, I would have either put him in "an Institution" yes, they had those back then, or just ignored him until he grew out of it. Say what you will, but I know first hand that she and her program literally changed and saved the quality of my son's and family's lives over these past 40 years.
Posted by: Louise Angers RN MSN Clinical Nurse Specialist | February 14, 2013 at 04:50 PM
Of course she finds no value in facilitated communication. She thinks they are all mentally retarded anyway. She made that pretty clear at the beginning.
Posted by: funny onesies | May 26, 2011 at 05:57 PM
42:36 has stuck in my mind for the last few days..this is not compassion , care, concern, this is the mocking of the sick for a "laugh".. rolling her head in a palsied sort of way while describing the presumed failures of therapies..very ugly performance by Dr.S.
Posted by: barbaraj | May 19, 2011 at 09:28 AM
Liz you bring up some good points. I plan to write more posts on IMFAR. You are right, it was much better than in 2010.
I started w Dr. S because treatment is the #1 priority for so many families and we feel like we have been on our own for too long. We need real medical interventions now- not rantings from psychologists like Dr. S. Her obvious antipathy for our families hurts IMFAR's credibility. Why on earth allow this woman to lead a treatment conference for families.
Dr. S has not changed any of her beliefs in 5 yrs. She actually said she felt her life was in danger at an ASA conference. I don't care if she said that yesterday or 10 yrs.ago it is ridiculous.
Posted by: Katie wright | May 18, 2011 at 09:36 PM
Kathy Blanco!
Your my hero!
Do you think we will ever get over how we and our children were treated by the human beings in our society that were by the very nature of their work suppose to be the most compassionate.
Not that I have not found some compassionate doctors and nurses but I have found some evil son's of dogs too.
Posted by: Benedetta | May 18, 2011 at 08:16 PM
One time, I was shopping for a neurologist at OHSU (have many words about that teaching hospital institution, but don't get me started)...and when I asked, what neuro is into alternative treatments for seizures, they quickly said Dr Elias. I went to him hoping I could help my son's seizure disorder, which were resistant to drug therapy. As we began to talk, I noted he was not making eye contact with me or my son. I started down the biomed angle, showing many test results which I spent thousands on which lended clues as to why this was so resistant to treat. He then said the most ridiculous line I have ever ever come across in my thirty years in autism (and believe me I heard some doozies like, your not affectionate enough-keeping in mind that was the early eighties)...anyways, he proceeded to tell me it WAS MY FAULT HE HAS AUTISM, that HE HAD SEIZURES. I quickly said, eXCUUUUUSE ME? I then got a lecture that I was not interested in curing him, and that if I just stepped out of the way, my son would be whole again. OMG! I frantically collected myself, put my finger practically in his nose and told him, that my son was the direct result of your fellow collegues belief that autism is genetic, and is the refrigerator moms fault, and that vaccinnes blissfully confer health on every single child no matter what their healing capital. I then proceeded to tell him to get on his knees tonight and ask a giant prayer of forgiveness for that statement. As I went down the hall, I decided I should let his other waiting patients learn of this disdain. So I stood in the waiting room and shouted this proclomation. If any of you are waiting for Dr Elias, I highly recommend you go get yourself a sandwich and rethink it, because this man just told me my son has autism/seizures because of me and the things I did, or didn't do. I saw two people get up and walk out. I then proceeded to tell people, why we have autism in our children today, overvaccination, birth method, toxins, etc. I think I audibly heard someone clap. I think that was actually the best day of my life, LOL...
Years later, we found out why it was treatment resistent, he had a number of buggers, viruses and lyme bacteria in him, his heart has conduction problems/mito disorder, Gut and allergy problems, and he had long term vaccine damage resulting in abosolute shut down of blood flow to temporal lobes and hypoperfusion. Yeah, that's all my fault alright...not. This woman can go suck a large egg. She and others like her in her "profession" haven't a clue what is biomedically wrong with our children, and like her minions, wish to have autism continue in epidemic proportions because of the obvious ioatragenic means of why they got it. Guilty much? Obvious deflections, anger...classic psychological defense mechanism for not dealing with the issues at hand. She should understand that one. Oh and IMFAR is just another term for, let's make sure the REAL science is not given, so that we are never found out! We should all protest this affair every year. And I say AFFAIR with what it's intended, a love fest with CDC and NIH and their pharmawhores.
Posted by: kathy blanco | May 18, 2011 at 01:23 PM
Did it matter how old it was? I had no idea of it's origin yet felt it wasn't new info, but more of a glimpse to provide a background feel for this person. The one in 166 number gave it's age away, and I do think it's appropriate to expose those involved, character is important, no one expects to get a free pass because of their birth year or a count of grey in their hair unless their ego surpasses their good sense.
Posted by: barbaraj | May 18, 2011 at 12:56 PM
Liz
Katie was complaining that Laura Schreibman had been given a prominent position at IMFAR but anyone can see that this is a three year old presentation of a different type. Looking at the article now it could certainly have been a bit clearer about it, but to make out that it was intended to mislead is itself quite unwarrented.
John
Posted by: John Stone | May 18, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Dear Editors at Age of Autism,
I wonder why you allowed a contributor to use a video of an April, 2007 talk at UCSD (http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=11953) as if it were a presentation at the 2011 IMFAR conference?
I also wonder why Ms. Wright's essay on Dr. Schreibman's perceived shortcomings as a researcher is your only coverage of IMFAR2011 to date? There were a number of presentations and symposia that would be of interest and use to your readers.
Posted by: Liz Ditz | May 18, 2011 at 11:54 AM
This woman is what she is, a sponsored pro who did read her cheat sheets. Really,( are we to believe ) this "expert" is decades behind in her thinking, and when taking on a rival..was it strategy or ignorance that she chose to mix up the vaccine concerns..thimerosal..gone..hell no it's not gone..it's hidden..trace amounts key words..mmr..she knows better..she wanted to cover this and appear that it was oh so insignificant that she needn't bother knowing the details..paid for should be stamped on her evil little head..yep ..evil is what she's doing to set back autism..I'm surprised she didn't throw in refrigerator moms..when she was talking parentectomy as not a promising therapy..she was a clown..got her laughs..and hurt children with her efforts.
Posted by: barbaraj | May 18, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Australia
Dr Laura states- "they (ASA parents) feel so strongly about autism" - I guess living with autism, breathing autism why wouldn't we feel so strongly about it!
Why do "so-called" experts feel a need to try and belittle autism parents, are we not the experts when it comes to our own children?
I don't know about any other parent but I was the one who approached the doctor about my sons lack of speech. He (the doctor) did not approach me!
Some days I feel like I am in my son's autism world - one step forward and two steps back. One step forward towards progress and two steps back in regression with "so-called" experts like Dr Laura!
What next?
Elizabeth - AussieMum
Posted by: AussieMum | May 18, 2011 at 02:01 AM
Sorry, maybe a digression but parents beware, this crap still exists today if you want to treat it as a psychological disorder!!!!When I took my 5 yr old to top guy at Harvard..2006, he actually said "well is it possible bc you had the two close in age that you didn't hold him enough" SOB he was top psychiatrist for adhd, savant....wow, I have learned a lot. Oh and by the way, my hips will forever be arthritic from holding a boy on each of them for 4 years straight! Funny how my other son was not effected. I must have liked him better. I think, ironically in the spirit of how she is speaking, that it's important to be presented with the challenges that make us stand up, scream, and fight our way through to the truth. So, I thank you Dr. Laura for a beautiful re-ignition in that fight in myself. How I love to prove them wrong, as do my children who improve everyday bc of the science I pursue (and yes study) and the antedotecal truths I witness daily!! God Bless!
Posted by: Christine Roshaven | May 17, 2011 at 11:14 PM
Aaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahah!!! I don't like to point to people and laugh... but I have to laugh at this supposed researcher.... I hope she is laughing with me when she realizes how funny it is that she is telling people that the MMR controversy is about thimerisol.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhahahah... She needs to start her research over. How many people are afraid now that she has other facts wrong. Has she been wasting people's time and money all these years? One has to ask if she is spewing that ill message. I shut it off after that.
Hey, Dr. S.... Please... I was listening respectfully until you showed the world that y ou don't care enough to get your facts straight. Please... if you really do care about your field and the children who are looking to you for help,,, please.... go beyond your arrogance and dig into the facts before you speak again. C'mon... what kind of scientist are you? Not a good one if you can't get the simple facts straight. Now please..... appologize for your mistake and allow yourself to learn the facts.
Posted by: laughter is the best medicine | May 17, 2011 at 10:13 PM
She is only one of many, many, many psychs that can talk the big talk and says nothing, and say it with not compassion what so ever. I have had to listened to a lots of them. THey talk so big and do say the word "science based" a lot, as if Psych was a science base subject.
They also have test and when tney start talking about the results of the test the know how to make them so hard - and use big words of percentiles instead of percentages.
She says there are better
assess to services - damn what services, Oh I have missed something, oh no I am a bad mom!
Posted by: Benedetta | May 17, 2011 at 07:30 PM
My 7 yr old was watching over my shoulder and said, "I guess (my brother) does not have autism after all if what this lady says is true! What does he have?"
Posted by: Cathy | May 17, 2011 at 06:26 PM
As Elvis would say in his satisfaction song ..
A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfaction in me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart(she aint got one ,I Know,jeezzze) and baby satisfy me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx1_6F-nCaw
Angus Files
Posted by: Angus Files | May 17, 2011 at 06:24 PM
Dr. Laura Schreibman should not be let near any child with autism. Her utter contempt for parents was palpable. Her advocacy of electric shocks for people with autism is unconscionable. She also appeared to be somewhat hypocritical - she "likes" TEACCH even though she stated that there was no real data indicating its effectiveness, and she denigrated most non-behavioral interventions on the basis that there was no data that they were effective. Judging by what I saw in this talk (and I did watch the entire thing), she probably would also not consider that pain can frequently be a cause of maladaptive behaviors. If a behavior is caused by pain, NO behavioral intervention will be effective.
While ABA can be very beneficial to many children with autism, bad ABA is worse than no ABA at all.
There are ABA therapists (including BCBAs) who do not share Dr. Schreibman's attitudes. These are the ones who will achieve real results.
Posted by: Carolyn M | May 17, 2011 at 06:09 PM
Nice catch on the inconsistency, Carol.
Figurehead "authors" who rely on ghostwriters and don't scrutinize and own every written word in their published books deserve every bit of public flogging they receive.
Posted by: Beth | May 17, 2011 at 05:52 PM
Dear Dr. Schreibman: Please stop recommending cattle prod therapy for children. On the other hand, it might prove promising for the reeducation of abusive psychotherapists...
Posted by: nhokkanen | May 17, 2011 at 05:28 PM
Whilst accepting that ABA therapy has helped many autistic children (and stressed others out), it has to be said that experimenting on cognitively dysfunctional childen with electric shocks to see whether it improves their behaviour is wrong. In many countries you would rightly go to prison for it.
Posted by: Mengele lives! | May 17, 2011 at 03:55 PM
Webster's dictionary describes a "sophist" as:
"one who uses clever, specious reasoning"
Webster's dictionary describes a "scientist" as:
"a specialist in science, as in biology, chemistry, or physics"
So .. using Webster's definition as my guide .. I would label Dr. Schriebman a "sophist" .. not a "scientist".
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 17, 2011 at 03:42 PM
Also I note that the author of _The Science and Fiction of Autism_ knows that MMR doesn't contain thimerosal whereas the person giving this talk does not. Perhaps the book was ghostwritten.
Posted by: Carol | May 17, 2011 at 03:41 PM
Krikey, how those at the teat of autism grants - especially in psychology - get angry when they are exposed as scientifically deficient. It's as if they have just enough jargon to fool the average listener and those who dole out the scratch. Not nearly enough to fool us though, eh?
Posted by: More Krap | May 17, 2011 at 03:31 PM
Look, the woman gets basic facts wrong. She's giving a talk posing as an expert. Should people be reverent because she has a sinecure at a university?
Posted by: Carol | May 17, 2011 at 03:27 PM
MK
That's a bit much given that it was a bashing exercise, and Schreibman has a history of it, with a book 'The Science and Fiction of Autism' first published in Nov 2005. An extract from a review by Michael Fitzpatrick in Nature appears on Amazon:
"[Schreibman] provides a comprehensive account of controversies in the field of autism...Her approach is refreshingly undogmatic and pragmatic, emphasizing the importance of applying theory flexibly in relation to the particular needs and circumstances of the child...If Schreibman's book encourages both parents and professionals to adopt a more critical approach towards [campaigns by some parents promoting unorthodox biomedical theories and treatments], this will protect families from further 'crushed hopes, ineffective treatments and false starts.' It will also help to restore appropriate boundaries between parents and professionals. It may therefore make an important contribution to the welfare of children in general, and those with autism in particular."
Fitz, of course, has funny ideas of undogmatism - sweeping ad hominems seem the order of the day. If, of course, she has changed her attitude in the interim it would be gratifying to know.
Posted by: John Stone | May 17, 2011 at 03:00 PM
@ Carol - why do I think that this polio outbreak, even though it occured among the vaccinated, will be blamed on the "anti-vaxxers?" Just like whooping cough, which they fail to mention has been occuring among or caught from the vaccinated...
Posted by: Joanna | May 17, 2011 at 02:55 PM
"By the way, this talk is several years old. If you want to bash research on autism, feel free, but at least pick recent research."
MK, If several-year-old research is no longer valid, then it should be retracted by the author(s), the publication(s) and all agencies and organizations that cite it. Until such point, it will be bashed if it deserves bashing.
Our kids are currently suffering from the conclusions of several-year-old research and many-year-old research, including that of Thimerosal on dying meningitis patients in 1929 that the CDC and industry point to today to "prove" its safety.
Posted by: Madvocate | May 17, 2011 at 02:34 PM
Dr. Laura Schreibman, along with Dr. Robert Koegel, created Pivitol Response Therapy. Now I know lots of you may not know what this is, but there are thousands and thousands of children who have benefited from it. It is ABA style therapy but in naturalistic settings instead of "at the table" and utilizing children's interests and own motivations to improve children's attention abilities, social initiations, and communication attempts. It is one of the two or three most scientifically sound therapies out there.
She does no drug research, though apparently a drug company did sponsor this talk being put online.
By the way, this talk is several years old. If you want to bash research on autism, feel free, but at least pick recent research.
Posted by: mk | May 17, 2011 at 01:53 PM
In between my daughter's OCD melt-downs this morning I was able to watch this video of Dr. Schreibman. She claims to be a scientist but apparently is blinded by her own ignorance of the toxic-exposure-with-resulting-pathology-affecting-behavior model of disease because maybe her ego won't let her step outside of her own box of expertise to see and understand what is currently known about autism and how to treat it outside of psychotropic drugs and ABA. Though she did allow herself a reluctant mention of Dr. Rimland's B6/mag intervention--which she couldn't refute.
In order to refute a theory one has to understand what that theory is. She refutes the autism/vaccine/mercury theory obviously without having objectively and thoroughly investigated it and should not represent her opinion as informed much less scientific. She claims she understands that autism is a biological condition (genetic) but as a strict psychobehavioral researcher, she doesn't demonstrate an understanding about the current knowledge of the biochemistry, whether genetic or otherwise, of autism(s) that encompasses much more than the behavioral manifestations that she understands to describe the condition. Until she becomes educated about the biochemistry of autism(s) she is not qualified to evaluate studies outside discrete trial research. Her erroneous statements that behaviors of autism are seen "long before they get the vaccines" and how increases in autism trends do not match increases in the vaccine schedule demonstrates exactly how ignorant she is about the parents' argument that vaccines are somehow playing a part in the etiology of their children's autism and should guide treatment (for those parents who are able to make that particular claim).
I'd send her a copy of Dan's and Mark's book The Age of Autism if I thought she'd read it, but as another commenter pointed out, Amlyn Pharm isn't sponsoring her to think outside the pharma box.
Posted by: Donna K | May 17, 2011 at 01:39 PM
Not about vaccines and autism, but interesting nonetheless:
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110517/LIFE01/105170310/Central-Florida-researcher-works-cultivate-plant-based-vaccines
The Gates Foundation's interest in Daniell's work comes in the wake of a recent, unexpected outbreak of polio, which started in India and Africa despite the global immunization effort that has eradicated much of the disease in the developing world. The World Health Organization reported 1,290 new cases of polio in 2010, with 145 cases reported globally in 2011, as of this month.
Unlike conventional polio vaccines, Daniell's virus does not require the whole virus to work.
"He (Gates) doesn't want to use whole virus anymore because some of the outbreak was traced back to inactivated virus that reactivated somehow," he said. "No one knows why."
Posted by: Carol | May 17, 2011 at 01:38 PM
cass-een free? couldn't she at least look up how to pronounce the word?
Posted by: Anne S | May 17, 2011 at 01:26 PM
Call Your Customers "Dangerous" and Refuse to Co-Mingle With Them.
I believe that book on sales has rocketed to the top of the charts on Amazon. Buy yours today.
Posted by: Ginger Taylor | May 17, 2011 at 01:16 PM
John, I just read your post about the study she was involved in about shocking autistic children. I was wondering if maybe I was reading it wrong or something, but no...she was using electric shocks on autistic kids!
I was willing to believe that maybe she was just an idiot, but that type of research seems downright cruel to me. Ugh...completely disgusted...
Posted by: j-insanity | May 17, 2011 at 01:12 PM
I'd be happy to look at the science if it was there. Saying it is there does not make it there. People died believing the world was round. Who feels the most threatened? The people who hold onto outdated idioms or the people that know the truth? Parents seeking the truth feel threatened on a daily basis.
Posted by: Cynthia Cournoyer | May 17, 2011 at 12:39 PM
Are Amlyn a sponsor of Schreibman or the channel? What is odd is that her research appears to be funded by the ASA. The talk goes back to January 2008. This ASA funded paper is of later publication:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2614300/?tool=pubmed
Posted by: John Stone | May 17, 2011 at 12:15 PM
Shriebman's sponsor, Amlyn Pharmaceuticals, makes diabetes drugs. Without vaccines, no more diabetes epidemic. http://www.naturalnews.com/023902.html
Katie, she's not at the end of her career - she's just beginning a new career at the helm of the profitable chronic disease industry! Her flub about thimerosal being in the MMR was just to throw us off.
Autism moms, beware of red-headed PhD psychologist handing out paper clips and pointing your children toward electric outlets.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786974
(thanks John Stone)
Posted by: Madvocate | May 17, 2011 at 11:58 AM
She is telling people not to bother with Facilitated Communication?!! Does she not realize that not ALL people with autism are 'flopping around' and have things to say? This woman is scary.
Posted by: Michelle | May 17, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Wow. Just, wow. Science?! All she is doing is talking about what does not work (theoretically). She keeps talking about how open minded she is. I am so sad for her family. Couldn't imagine being married to this.
Posted by: LJ Goes | May 17, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Kevin
I am not all sure that if she had an autistic grandchild that she wouldn't want him/her to be electrocuted. The real point is not truth but deference:
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/05/paul-offits-10000-vaccines-and-the-milgram-experiment.html
John
Posted by: John Stone | May 17, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Her life may not be in danger, but it's certainly been wasted, as she will go down in history as someone who wasted a bunch of our parents' time, time that could be spent helping kids. JB
Posted by: JB Handley | May 17, 2011 at 10:58 AM
P.S.
At the end of the video: Sponsored by AMLYN PHARMACEUTICALS,
She's a pharma rep.
No wonder she's so happy to tell us there's no known cause or cure. Why get rid of the market?
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | May 17, 2011 at 10:57 AM
Why not listen to someone who actually knows something about the subject and who is a lot easier to listen to?
http://www.vaccinesafetycoalition.com/event-video.html
Posted by: Carol | May 17, 2011 at 10:51 AM
"Autism is a popular topic..."
"This is a field that has been loaded with controversy....."
"All these fights eventually have the effect of moving the field forward.'
Schreibman is typical of the people making a living off of the autism epidemic. She spends half of the talk defining autism and giving the history of the disorder. The rate she cites is one in 2,000 to one in 166 births.
OMG...She wrote a book??? She treats autistic kids? And she doesn't think there's been an increase? She takes credit for doctors KNOWING WHAT AUTISM IS NOW?
I guess her message is mixed, "It's genetic in many, many cases, if not most cases," why don't parents just accept that fact?
She's sick of the controversies over autism. Parents aren't scientists...SHE IS. She has the answers. Except for the fact that she readily admits, "We have so few answers."
That doesn't bother her. She's just mad because in the void, we get all this controversy.
Why was this woman even there? She doesn't care what's happening to our children. She's just mad because others do and they're asking questions and demanding answers. She's happy to watch a generation of children lost to autism and pretend it's not happening. She bemoans the fact that Wakefield started the controversy over the MMR and thimerosal doesn't cause autism.
She's scary. Despite the fact that she doesn't know basic facts about the vaccine controversy, she says, "I could give a whole talk on this."
"The rate of autism is on the rise, but the rate of vaccinations stayed the same."
Any parent who's DONE THEIR RESEARCH KNOWS WHAT A WORTHLESS EXPERT SCHREIBMAN IS. How dare she dismiss the link between vaccines and autism when she doesn't even know that mercury isn't in the MMR. How dare she slam Wakefield and his research when she hasn't even bothered to read what he found.
She announced, "I'm a scientist. I admit it." "LOOK AT THE SCIENCE."
Exactly lady. And you're a perfect example of just how worthless mainstream, pharma-owned science is. They don't give a damn about our children. They can't offer parents ANYTHING. Nothing is known. We have no answers. NOTHING WORKS. Vaccines don't cause autism.
Is anyone EMBARRASSED AT IMFAR? Or is everyone gathered in San Diego as worthless as Schreibman is? (Psst....someone tell Schreibman that the rate is one in 110.)
Anne Dachel
Media
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | May 17, 2011 at 10:48 AM
She's been studying it for years and years and years, but has apparently made no contribution to the field. She has no idea what causes it. Nobody does. I stopped listening before she got to the end, but I'm guessing she also has no idea how to heal it.
I'm not sure I'd be banging away like that if I were her.
Posted by: Carol | May 17, 2011 at 10:48 AM
She and Dr. Wiznitzer in a room would equal the autism candlepower of a complete blackout. And you know they re highly paid, which is even more irritating.
Posted by: Stagmom | May 17, 2011 at 10:44 AM
It's obvious that she has not been 'touched' by someone close to her with Autism. If she had, then she wouldn't be preaching this crap, she'd be like the rest of us - digging in deep and finding answers.
In the meantime, someone should send her a letter.
Is someone keeping track of the names for the "Wall of Shame"? Is it posted somewhere for reference (and FB Sharing)?
Posted by: Kevin | May 17, 2011 at 10:33 AM
J Autism Child Schizophr. 1976 Jun;6(2):163-73.
Employing electric shock with autistic children. A review of the side effects.
Lichstein KL, Schreibman L
ABSTRACT
The use of electric shock in a punishment paradigm has continued to be a highly controversial issue in the treatment of autistic children. While the experimental literature argues for the effectiveness of the procedure for reducing maladaptive behaviors, some clinicians and researchers have expressed fear of possible negative side effects. The reported side effects of contingent electric shock were reviewed in an attempt to evaluate the validity of these fears. The review indicated that the majority of reported side effects of shock were of a positive nature. These positive effects included response generalization, increases in social behavior, and positive emotional behavior. The few negative side effects reported included fear of the shock apparatus, negative emotional behavior, and increases in other maladaptive behavior. The implication of these findings for the use of the shock procedure are discussed in terms of correct usage of the shock, therapist reservations, and alternative procedures.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/786974
Posted by: Posted by John Stone | May 17, 2011 at 10:21 AM
Starting at about 25:00 the brilliant Dr. Schreibman starts talking about Autism / vaccines and the "Thimerosal in the MMR shot" She states she could give a "whole talk" on the Thimerosal / MMR matter, which is backed up by some organization called the "Institute of America."
How could anyone argue with the Institute of America ????
Sadly for Dr. Bozo Schreibman there has never been mercury/ Thimerosal in the MMR vaccine...
She later states that "she is crazy but a senior," and "what can they do to her" ???
It is GREAT will have these elite intellects on digital media that will never go away .... can someone edit the clip from about 25:00 to 30:00 ???
Posted by: cmo | May 17, 2011 at 10:20 AM
She says autism falls under PSYCHOPATHOLOGY. Oh. my. goodness. Argh.
Posted by: Penny | May 17, 2011 at 08:59 AM
She is either the mother of Offit or Mnookin or a recycled Bettelheim. Either way, it's a tragedy that she keeps talking.
Maurine
Posted by: Maurine Meleck | May 17, 2011 at 08:26 AM
Wow...she is utterly clueless! At the 24 minute mark, she starts talking about head circumference being larger in newborns who will later develop autism. That was discredited several years ago. And then, she goes on to claim that thimerosal in MMR was causing concerns to parents, and that they were worried that the thimerosal in MMR was causing autism. At this point, I couldn't finish watching because I just couldn't stop laughing.
MMR never contained thimerosal. And this woman is supposed to be one of the leading autism researchers in the country? God help us...
Posted by: These are our "scientists" | May 17, 2011 at 07:55 AM
No only are these ignorant, arrogant assholes responsible for the autism epidemic, they are bonified roadblocks that stand in our way of stopping the progression of this epidemic, and in getting our kids the help that they need.
This dinosaur is just another is a long list "Offit"esque denialists, willing to scoop up some readily available Big-pharma cash in years that would be much better served by a quit retirement.
I managed to get through about 4 minutes of this narcissistic dodo's tirade. Yet another name destined to be engraved on the Autism Wall of Shame
Posted by: Barry | May 17, 2011 at 07:16 AM